Thursday, 15 October 2009

Just a quick one - I'm at home cooking the tea and just waiting for it to be ready...Got back yesterday from a brief trip down to London to play 'Kettletoft Inn' with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall. I last played it up in Orkney with Psappha and I seem to remember writing something then about how strange it seems to meet up with musicians you don't know and have never met before, do a couple of short rehearsals and then go on stage with them.Well - it still seems strange, and although I'm getting more used to the idea (and have really enjoyed working with Psappha and the Nash Ensemble - fantastic players!) I would LOVE to get the chance to play the piece with the same group on several consecutive days/concerts.It's a great piece to play, but would really sing out even more if everyone had the opportunity to get past the notes on the page and really let go a bit!Only actually playing in one piece meant that that I got the chance to sit and listen to the rest of the concert - wonderful music in a beautiful setting.Only problem was that I was a bit worn out from 2 days in London, one of which started extremely early with an appointment at the US Embassy to get a visa - what a stressful experience - I was terrified I was going to do something wrong/ not have the right paperwork/forget my passport/etc etc etc...but surprisingly enough it all went without incident (I speak for myself only...Peter and Julian didn't fare quite so well...but that's a different story....)Dinner's ready - better go!k